Improvement in locomotive-furnaces



J. E. WOOTTE-N.

LOCOMOTIVE FURNACE. Na. 175,847. Patented Apr i11"1,1876.

UNITED STATES JOHN E.

WOOTTEN, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN LOCOMOTlVE-FURNACES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 175,847,. dated'April11, 1876; application filed February 1, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. WOOTTEN, of Reading, Pennsylvania, haveinvented certain Improvements in Locomotives, of which the following isa specification:

My invention is directed to the remedying of acknowledged defects inthose features of a locomotive-engine which relate to the combustion offuel and the disposal of the sparks. These defects are the constantdisturbance and tearing up of the fuel, caused by the in- 1 termittentblasts of exhaust steam, and resulting not only in the waste of fuel butin injury to the tube sheets, and abrasion and rapid destruction of thetubes.

Heretoforethe exhaust steam of locomotiveengi-nes has been usuallyutilized by causing itt'o create a draft for supporting combustion andfor clearing the tubes and disposing of nomical burning of the fuel canbe accom plished without the aid of the exhaust steam and by the simpleuse of an induced and continuous blast of air beneath the fire-grate,combined with a steady jet or jets of li re steam in the chimney, whichcause a draft of sufficient intensity to induce the entire products ofcombustion to pass through the flues, even should the furnace-doors beopen.

The result of this combination is the uniform, economical, and quiescentcombustion of the fuel and the prevention of violentlyemitted sparks,which have such a detrimental effect on the tubes of ordinarylocomotive-boilers.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section,of sufficient of a locomotive-boiler to illustrate my invention, andFig. 2 a view of the smoke-box end of the boiler.

A is the fire-box of the boiler; B, the ash-pan, which should be closedexcepting at the inducting-pipe 0, through which air is caused to passby a jet from a steam'nozzle, a, communicating through a pipe, E, withone of the steam-pipes N of the engine, at a point between the usualthrottle-valve and the steamchest, so that when the said throttle valveis closed the escape of steam at the nozzle a, and consequently theintroduction of air under pressure to the ashpan, ceases.

It should be here-understood that although Ihave alluded and shallhereafter allude to but oneinduction-pipe, G, and one steam-nozzle, a,two, three, or more pipes and nozzles may be used. It should be. alsounderstood that each induction-pipe is furnished witha self closingvalve, q, and also with regulating devices.

In thepresent instance I :have shown in the smoke-box l) of the boiler afeed-water heater, H, through which the -exhaust steam passes,

and which may be similar :to thosein common use, but, although I preferto use thisheater, it is not essential to my invention.

The exhaust steam, isteadof being discharged into the chimney I, asusual, passes through a pipe, J, into astandpipe, K, which is, bypreference, furnished at the top with'a suitable valve, w, under thecontrol of the engineer.

The pipe J is bent downward within the pipe K, or is otherwise soarranged as to prevent the direct upward escape of the steam. The waterof condensation is thus projected downward while the vapor escapesthrough the top of the pipe when its valve is open. This water ofcondensation passes through a pipe, M, into the tender, and by closingthe valve w the vapor, which would otherwise escape into the atmosphere,will also be forced through the pipe M into the tank of the tender.

The length of time during which the valve may remain closed will dependupon the condition of the water in the tender as regards temperature. 7

The pipe m for injecting live steam into the chimney may be connected toone of the steampipes N N, as shown in Fig. 2, the connection being, bypreference, at a point between the throttle-valye of the engine and thesteamchest, so that on closing the said throttlevalve the discharge ofthe live steam into the chimney will cease.

As before remarked,'I prefer the use of a feed-water heater in thesmoke-box, as the greatest heat will be there imparted to it. Anadditional heater may however be placed on the boiler, as indicated bydotted lines, and through this heater the steam and water can circulateafter passing from the waste-pipe K,

and before it reaches the tank of the tender. It is preferable that theheater or heaters should be interposed between the force-pump of theengine and check-valve of the boiler.

I may state, in conclusion, that even if the exhaust steam be dischargedinto the atmosphere in such a manner that it cannot influence thedraftfor instance, if it is caused to pass directly through and abovethe chimney, as shownoby dotted lines in Fig. lthe introduction of airunder pressure into the closed ash-pan, in connection with the draftinduced by the continuous jet of live steam into the chimney in place ofthe intermittent blasts of exhaust steam, will result in the economizingof fuel, for the products of combustion, instead ofrushing through thetubes with intermitent impulses, as usual, will take such a steady andcomparatively slow course through the said tubes that their heat will beeffectually absorbed.

,A further economy of fuel is, however, insured in utilizing the exhauststeam thus relieved from its usual function of promoting the draft, byusing it as a medium for heating the feed-water and causing it, bycondensation, to contribute to thesupply' of heated feedwater.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to claim, broadly,either separately or in combination, the'introduction of air underpressure into a closed ash-pan, or the introduction ofajet of live steaminto the chimney; but

I claim as my invention- 1. The mode herein described of burning fuel inand preventing the emission of sparks from locomotive-boilersthat is tosay, by forcing, by means of a jet or jets of live steam, a continuousblast of atmospheric air into a closed ash-pan, and by introducing intothe chimney a continuous jet orjets of live steam sufficient in force orvolume to prevent the escape of the products of combustion through thedoor of the furnace when open, but insufficient to cause the emission ofsparks from the chimney, all as set forth.

2. The combination of the closed ash-pan and air-pipe O with a nozzle,a, communicating with a steam-pipe of the engine at a point between thesteam-chest and throttle-valve so that the introduction of air underpressure into the ash-pan shall cease simultaneously with the cuttingoff of steam from the engine j as specified.

3. The combination of the chimneywith a pipe communicating at one endwith a main steam-pipe of the engine, at a point between thethrottle-valve and steam-chest, and terminating at the upper end in anozzle, nozzles, or other devices for discharging a jet or jets of livesteam into the said chimney when the throttle-valve is open.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN E. WOOTTEN.

Witnesses:

HARRY HowsoN, Jr., HARRY SMITH.

